You need to PM "chadthaman" He'll show you the ropes, and hes pretty good. I made friends with him before I left, and he knows all of my "Spots" and some other really good ones that I dont know of too. He'll get you steered in the right direction.

Other than that, the sportbike scene is almost All show, No go type stuff. there are large groups that ride on either Tuesday or Thursday nights. I didnt really ride with them because they like to go fast in a straight line and slow through corners (not my style) if that's your style you might get along with them, but I was never impressed with their talent.

Also be aware that there are 5 good-great tracks near by...

JenningsGP in Jennings FL. Inexpensive 1.5 mile track. The R1 forum Memorial trackday is there every spring. It's only about 250bucks to ride 2 days. Great price if you ask me.

Barber Motor Sports Park is up in Leeds AL, (near Birmingham) about 5 hours away. Very Technical track, haven't ridden it, but did attend a local track day with some friends from up there, (before I started riding on the track) AMA races there once a year, and the Museum is AMAZING. if you head up there, make sure to ride, hwy, 27 (i think) and stop at 29 dreams. theres quite a few decent roads on the way up there. This track is pretty pricey to ride at, but worth the money from what I've heard.

Road Atlanta in Braselton GA is about 5.5 hours away. Awesome track. Did a NESBA trackday there with a good number of forum riders last october. It's a real blast there man. Back straight is almost 3/4 mile long, and you can really run your bike out there. I had mine up to 181 MPH (with speedo healer and top speed recall) AMA races here as well (most years) Price is middle of the road not the most expensive, but well worth the money that you'll pay to ride there.

NOLA Racway just outside New Orlands Luisianna is about 5.5/6 hours away. Have also heard GREAT things about this track from some of the forum members who have ridden there. I didnt ride there because they opened up this spring and I left in June. Dont know how expensive this track is ... talk to Greenmachine, he has ridden this one.

Homestead Raceway near Miami Florida 10+ hours away, but I've also heard that its a "decent" track to ride if you just want to get a track day in. Also never ridden there, but had the intentions to do so this summer (before I got orders out of PC) Price is also middle of the road.

What ever you do, don't act a fool on the roads while in FL. they have "the sportbike law" If you get caught doing a wheelie or stoppie, you will be fined 1000 dollars the FIRST offense, 2500 and license suspension for the second and 5000 and LOSS of license for 10 years for the third. Those fines also apply for if you get caught for 50+ MPH over the speedlimit. (I know you're thinking that will never be a problem, but dude, you're on an R1 with STRAIGHT FLAT ROADS, I'm not saying I did it often, but you will break 100 MPH at SOME point of being there.

Dude, thanks for the heads up. I'm not really into track racing, I'm more of the weekend corner carver type I guess. I love to ride, but I'm not competitive on it you know. I don't really care for all the show chrome stuff either, but I'll hang just to hang. I prefer a bike that you can ride instead of sit on, but still looks good.

I'm PCS'ing there, Air Force. I'm finishing up a 1 year tour in the desert and I'll be in PC around mid November this year. I started riding about 8 years ago when I was in Key West, FL, so I know all about the FL laws, and yeah I've already done some stupid stuff on my bike there and luckily I didn't get caught. I remember 184 being a number I remember seeing a lot. But those days are behind me for the most part now. How is the weather there in the summer, is really humid or is the breeze off the gulf enough to tame it?

I'll shoot chadthaman a PM here later and introduce myself.

Do you know of any good shops there? My bikes been in storage for a year and when I get it back it's going to need some work done, as well as new tires.

Well welcome to PC in advance! Got a couple of guys I ride w/ that are not of the straight line variety. They have a few spots that they hit when their crap is up and running. Right now they're doing repairs but I'm sure they'll be up by the time you get here. The 850 boys is what asdfjklm is probably referring too. Supposedly there are a few corner carvers but I've yet to ride w/ them to find out.

I'm retired AF and just picked my 09 up last wk. Have yet to ride it as I'm waiting on the title. 1st sport bike so I'm not looking to go crazy on it but I want to ride it as much as possible and master the twisties. Track days are future plans for me too. And yes there are A LOT of flat roads in this part of FL. The thing to be careful about is all the undercover cops in vehicles you'd never suspect would be marks. They are EVERYWHERE here! Also PC is small so everyone knows everyone to some degree so you have to be careful there too. I haven't done bike night w/ the sport riders but I do w/ the cruisers at Wicked Wheels on Wed nights. That's a pretty cool group people there.

Weather wise, it's humid in the summer but if you got desert dirt on ya it's no big deal really. 10 yrs in the dirt myself so this place is like a walk in the park to me. Spring and fall is the greatest for riding around here and the winters are mild but on occassion can get cold for a couple of wks w/ temps in the teens for lows. This yr we've been getting alot of rain which is a blessin and a curse at the same time. There is always a breeze of some sort off the gulf too which I like the most.

Oh and before I forget, these fools can't drive and everyone texts and drives like nobody's business. We've had two fatalities this yr w/ our fellow bikers through no fault of their own. One was this wkend as a matter of fact. For some strange reason a lot of auto accidents this yr and I was involved in one as well...luckily I was in the truck. Not telling you nothing you don't know already especially w/ being AD and safety and all. Vigilance around here is paramount.

If you need some work done holla at me. My partner works on bikes as it's his bread and butter and won't rape you like the only game in town will at the yami dealership. Can't say much about Adrenaline Rush (another shop in town).
Silas,

The R1, you sound like someone I will enjoy riding with when I get there. I'm not as young as I imagine most the sport bike guys there are. I'm looking forward to the bike nights and hanging out and then hitting the roads on like a Sat/Sun ride or something like that.

And I see you had a 93 Z, I have a 95 Z that's been my project car for 15 years now. Been thinking about selling it as it's just become to much of a monster really. It's really nice where it is, but to do what I really want would be another 15K, and I'm thinking I'd rather invest that in something that will be worth it in the end.

You're not into guns at all are you? Looking for a good spot I can shoot, or better getting a place out of town a little bit so I have some land to shoot on.

Awe shit!!! We're gonna get along really well. I've still got my 93. The motor is what took a dump or it's an electrical issue. You don't happen to be on LTxtech, LS1tech or Cz28 by chance? I go by "The SRZ" on those forums. I've had my car 16yrs now and of those 16 yrs it's only ran about 3. LOL We've got a local club here but I'll admit it's a bit stale. But get together when we can. The big thing is the annual meet in Destin. We get out for that one for sure and the meet in Ocala. http://panamacitylsx.11.forumer.com/index.php
Don't sell your car dude! Just put it away and do a LS conversion or something. Sacrelige I know. That's my plan any ways...besides, I'd love to have another LTx guy around here as you we're relics in this part of town. I love to bust their ass when it's runnin. I only have the c5z to compensate for the toy not running. LOL

Gun guy? I'm just now getting into it. You plan on renting here? Places w/ land etc are out in the rural areas of Southport and the like. I've got some friends though that are heavy into guns though, non military affiliated. They're all gear heads too. You'll fit right in.

I'm a wkend rider too. And sundays are the best days as everyone is in church. But now that I've got the R1 I plan on riding it at least 2-3's a wk. Weather permitting of course.

Here's my car, I never intended to go big with it. I always wanted like a daily drivable touring/auto x type car. The internal motor has nothing done to it, however it does have a ton of bolt ons and I did the LTCC conversion to it, was thinking about doing the LS1 ECU conversion and getting rid of the Opti altogether. But if I keep it I'll do all that and put a mild 383 with supercharger on it probalby. Here's my car domain page: http://www.cardomain.com/ride/423456...evrolet-camaro.

Yeah I'm big into guns, so many that I have to get a safe now. I reload for 9mm/40/45ACP/44 MAG and soon 500 S&W/223-5.56/308. I have a huge list of stuff to get when I get a place settled in to. I love big bore long barreled revolvers, but I have several semi-auto's also. I was thinking about getting into competitive shooting when I get there, but I'm not so sure about that now. Will depend on work and everything else you know.

After meeting you guys and hearing about everything, I'm ready to get there and get going now.

I forgot to add that I'm not on any camaro forums except for camaroforums.com. I've tried all the others but they just seemed to be a bunch of pissy kids trying to one up each other and none of them shared any tech or helped anyone out with their issues. Well that was years ago, I'm a mod on camaroforums.com and we just put up with all that crap and our tech sections are packed with so much useful info. and we got people who know their stuff.

I built my car to be triple threat. It's got countless hrs at Hockenheim and the Nurnburgring. 1/4 mile isn't my thing but she'll do mid high 9's. Eventually I want to get into the TX mile shootout as I've been clocked by Polizei @ 202.91mph on the autobahn w/ a sanctioned event when I was over there. It's overkill now but still streetable, almost stock until you hammer it and then its lights out. Only thing I haven't touched is the rearend other than gears and TA cover. I'll let it die a natural death before going to a 12" or 9". I like to roll on the throttle vs just punching it and letting it build boost. Here's my POS but it's normal position most of the time is jack stands. LOL
My fquick page if you couldn't view the car I pasted in here.http://www.fquick.com/garages/viewvehicle.php?id=12571

LTxtech are a good group of guys and not like LS1tech. All the diehard guys have moved on w/ an exception of a few over there. Mostly now it's kids on that site or just young in the head altogether. I go there for sheer entertainment now. Ha-ha!

Damn dude, you got some hardware. All I'm looking to get is .40 cal, something small to carry while riding and another .45 desert eagle.

It's not bad here. Laid back environment, great local people IMO as others think otherwise and some of the best restaurants around if you're into sea food. Now as far as eye candy. You're out of luck. LOL Allegedly they're here but I've yet to see them. Guess I'm not hanging out in the right parts of town.

OP...
as far as "good shops" goes. There aren't really any. I did most of my own work when I could, and if it was something over my head, I would rather drag my bike ( in the back of my pickup or in my trailer) all the way to Fort Walton Yamaha shop than have the clowns at the Honda/Yamaha Shop in PC work on my shyt.
Three reasons...
1. You have to spend LOTS of money there for them to give two shyts about you and your motorcycles, and
2. they're WAY over priced. (for labor AND parts)
the ONLY person in the entire yamaha shop (in pc ) that I dealt with was Trey. (real tall skinny dude)
3. they will take FOREVER to get ANYTHING done for you because everyone in PC takes their bikes, atvs, dirtbikes, AND jetskis to them, and they are overloaded with work. (and their shop manager is a lazy bastard) *unless they got a new one since I left 2 months ago*

I have heard of adrenaline rush, but I would never take my stuff to them because I was under the impression that their mechanics were pretty much just as qualified to work on a bike as I am. Haha. But I could be wrong there too man.

Talk to a few of the other dudes when you get into town and they will help you out. The "serious" riding group of people in PC are pretty cool, and very helpful.

To comment on TheR1's weather description. For the past 7 years (that I lived in PC FL) there was only ONE year that I did not ride at least ONCE A WEEK, EVERY WEEK. And that's because I was deployed for 7 months of that year. You can EASILY ride year round in PC if you dress appropriately and ride carefully. The only time it may be difficult is from Mid January to Mid February. It can be downright COLD in the mornings, but it usually is no lower than mid 40's during the day that time of the year. Again... if you dress properly, you'll be just fine.
My rule of thumb was... If it's not below freezing OR raining as I was leaving the house I was on the bike! In the 7 years I lived there, I put 30,000 plus miles on my 04 R6 (until I made it a track bike) and over 8,000 on the R1 in the year that I had it in FL. Belieive me, you will ride a LOT.

Nice, I've always liked the silver, sounds like you're pretty well off to be doing all this racing all over the place and to have all the goodies. Hold on to it in this world.

I've always had a hard time figuring out exactly what I wanted to do with mine. And for the longest time it was my only vehicle as I was young and poor. And since it's a convertable, that limits me on several directions. But it's been taken care of, oil changes every 2K miles with mobile 1 full syn/K&N oil filter. Has 200K+ miles on it and will still burn rubber with the best of them.

I got into guns a while back and have had some time and money to get some nice ones. I have a 44 Mag desert eagle and a couple of high cap spfd 1911's that I've got about 2K each in custom work. I'll be getting those back from the gun smith when I get back from this tour. We'll get together and do some shooting. I was lucky enough to have a friend in Tucson that's I could send guns I bought while over here to and he's holding on to them for me. I bought some nice stuff while I was over here and can't wait to go play.

You should give my forum a try, we're have a really good group that hangs out in the lounge and there are a couple of other FL guys on there. One of my best friends is in Pennsacola and is building a 69. Have another friend in Orlando that's building a 69 as well.

OP...
as far as "good shops" goes. There aren't really any. I did most of my own work when I could, and if it was something over my head, I would rather drag my bike ( in the back of my pickup or in my trailer) all the way to Fort Walton Yamaha shop than have the clowns at the Honda/Yamaha Shop in PC work on my shyt.
Three reasons...
1. You have to spend LOTS of money there for them to give two shyts about you and your motorcycles, and
2. they're WAY over priced. (for labor AND parts)
the ONLY person in the entire yamaha shop (in pc ) that I dealt with was Trey. (real tall skinny dude)
3. they will take FOREVER to get ANYTHING done for you because everyone in PC takes their bikes, atvs, dirtbikes, AND jetskis to them, and they are overloaded with work. (and their shop manager is a lazy bastard) *unless they got a new one since I left 2 months ago*

I have heard of adrenaline rush, but I would never take my stuff to them because I was under the impression that their mechanics were pretty much just as qualified to work on a bike as I am. Haha. But I could be wrong there too man.

Talk to a few of the other dudes when you get into town and they will help you out. The "serious" riding group of people in PC are pretty cool, and very helpful.

To comment on TheR1's weather description. For the past 7 years (that I lived in PC FL) there was only ONE year that I did not ride at least ONCE A WEEK, EVERY WEEK. And that's because I was deployed for 7 months of that year. You can EASILY ride year round in PC if you dress appropriately and ride carefully. The only time it may be difficult is from Mid January to Mid February. It can be downright COLD in the mornings, but it usually is no lower than mid 40's during the day that time of the year. Again... if you dress properly, you'll be just fine.
My rule of thumb was... If it's not below freezing OR raining as I was leaving the house I was on the bike! In the 7 years I lived there, I put 30,000 plus miles on my 04 R6 (until I made it a track bike) and over 8,000 on the R1 in the year that I had it in FL. Belieive me, you will ride a LOT.

Hit us up again if you have anymore questions bro.

Thanks for all the info. man, I really appreciate everything. How is the riding in Belgium?

Thanks for all the info. man, I really appreciate everything. How is the riding in Belgium?

No problem bro... that's why we're on the boards, to help other folks out.

Haha, you ask how is the riding? Honestly... I don't know yet. I JUST got notification that my HHG arrived in Country TODAY, (which my bikes are in that HHG shipment. I will receive the shipment on the 27th.

Until then, I can't comment, but I know that driving here is INSANE bro. Quite a bit of elevation change (different from FL) and LOTS of curves and sweepers (different from FL as well) many different traffic laws that can get you smoked in the blink of an eye, and TONS of shytty drivers (not so different from FL at all) I'm actually not very familiar with ANY of the local roads, so I have to meet up with the guys I work with and have them drag me around. Looks like it'll be a really good time here.

Two things that I noticed that are absolutely different though.
1. Barely anyone here rides without leathers on a sportbike here.
2. Bikes DO NOT obey the speed limit here. AT ALL. Because the police (at least where I am) do not do "traffic stops" they deal with "real" crimes and shyt. So you can pretty much go as fast as you want, and not have any problems.

Another cool thing I found out about today, theres a track about 10 mins from from my place another 1 hours south, another 2 hours north, and a handful within 5 hours drive, and quite a few more within an 8 hour drive.. Haha, I am gonna go broke over here because of that, but it's gonna be cool as shyt. a few of them to mention... Donnigiton Park and Cadwell Park in the UK, Assen in Holland, Spa in Belgium, Nurburgring and Sachsonring in Germany, Monza in Italy, and Estoril in Spain. World renown tracks all within a few hours travel man. It's gonna be a really cool 4 years man.

I know the feeling of hurry up and wait. LOL Don't worry dude, you'll be here before you know it.

Any more plans for the bike?

I found out they have bike night for the sport riders 2-3 times a wk. Tues and Thurs I think and a Sun morning get together where the go ride. I think that Sun ride though is to Destin for grub and not of the twisty variety.

Have you been able to contact chadthaman? Don't know him but would like to meet him as well.

I do plan on a couple things right off the batt. I have a PCIII USB on it now and I've never been happy with the maps I tired in it, and never had time or a big interest in getting it dyno'd tuned. But I was planning on get the PCV and the wideband O2 for it, just have to get a bung welded in, which I can do myself with a welder. Other than that, I gotta change the plugs, new tires, and just really clean it up from setting for a year.

He did PM back today and said he'd tell me where to go or meet up and show me. I'd rather have some show me around town if at all possible as I don't know crap about the place. Maybe we can all get together when I get there and get my bike ready, which will be one of the first things I do for sure. I want to ride so bad.

Sounds like a plan to me with getting together and showing ya around. Really nothing to it, 3 main roads that are 15th street aka Tyndall parkway or 98, hwy 77 or just 77 and 23rd street. I know it sounds small but it's not that bad. If you haven't already, just google map the are to get an idea. Not hard to get lost here at all.